


Sun and Fire

by dirtstarP (chosuiri)



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-15 22:52:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11815851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chosuiri/pseuds/dirtstarP
Summary: i'm so embarrassed to write thsi i don't even knwo if i was good enough i can't write worth shit i'm sorry aaaa well hokumao hope y'all enjoy





	Sun and Fire

It wasn’t so developed as something by the name of love, but it was just a bud of admiration. Hokuto only saw Mao as his equal whom he trusted and would rely on. Or, at least he wanted it to be that way.

Hokuto didn’t know when it really began. Maybe it grew from constant consultation, looking past his unit member’s responsibilities and seeing how he really felt. As respective class presidents, they had to talk to each other regarding their classmates as well. Sometimes, when the two of them watched the Idiot Duo trying to form a new comedy routine during practice, they would sigh in exasperation. And in tandem.

Of course, Hokuto noticed it, and recently he’d been blinking furiously whenever they sighed at the same time, trying to push down some kind of emotion that he somehow liked. But it was embarrassing to him. He only had to pay attention to the work given to him and perform it perfectly. What good did it do him to be overwhelmed by such an intangible thing like a feeling? It would only get in everyone else’s way.

What was that feeling? Whenever Mao laughed, Hokuto had to look away, pretending to cough so that he could cover up the red that rushed across his face. Maybe the heat from summer was unnerving him somehow.

Mao was reliable. A friendly person who could get near just about anyone. He was the complete opposite of Hokuto, who had been told his expressions were stiff and robotic, and to that he had to agree.

Did Anzu know? He would occasionally meet eyes with her when averting his gaze, and though she didn’t make much of a reaction, he could have sworn that she smiled once. She was getting easier to understand, because she’d begun to open up to them, but their goddess of victory was just as incomprehensible as always. Not only her actions were inane, but also her roundabout way of interpreting things. If they were in a set of cards, she would be the joker, rather than the queen.

One afternoon, Trickstar’s practice had just ended. Orange light from a sunset was spilling through the transparent windows, and Subaru had laid down on the floor like a sea star, panting though he likely wasn’t even tired in the slightest. Makoto was tiredly wiping a lens of his glasses, then the other… then the other… then the other, repeating cleaning the lenses that had already been cleaned. Mao still stretched, moving his legs slowly to not strain them too quickly.

Hokuto held the door to the practice room open for Anzu, who stepped in carrying some plastic bags filled with bottles and snacks. She placed the bags gingerly on the floor, beckoning to Makoto and Subaru. They blinked wearily, and though Subaru shot off the floor immediately to rush to her, Makoto wheezed multiple times before pulling himself to his feet.

She seemed to be very animated today. Her actions were very exaggerated, emphasized with grasping her own hands and shaking them furiously. Mao tried to listen in on her conversation with the two, but she noticed him almost as soon as he took a step towards them. Anzu pushed aside the others and nudged him away without a word.

Bewildered, Mao didn’t question what she did and stood next to Hokuto, who silently handed him a water bottle. “Thanks,” Mao sighed, nodding toward the three of them, who now seemed just as engaged as Anzu had been before. “Do you know what they could be talking about?”

“No clue.” Hokuto pulled out a sports drink and opened it, but he kept his eyes on the Idiot Duo. Who knew what odd idea they had in mind this time? Anzu, despite how much Hokuto trusted her, tended to have weird plans that were on par with Subaru’s equally confusing mindset.

As if he had just been reading Hokuto’s mind, Subaru piped up, yelling, “Really!? Hokke is-?” Anzu’s eyes widened, and she clamped her hand over Subaru’s mouth before he could say anything further. But the damage had been done.

Hokuto took a few steps toward them. “What did you say about me? Rather, what were you going to say about me?”

“Ah, whoa, whoa!” Makoto flapped his hands, a look of terror in his eyes, stopping Hokuto in his track lest his face be hit. “Um, um! What Akehoshi-kun meant to say was, um, Okay? It’s a game in the arcade, and we were planning to go there with Anzu-chan! Yeah! Also, don’t come along with us and just walk home by yourselves! You hear?”

Anzu released Subaru, who looked as if he had been strangled. He took a few deep breaths, pouting at Anzu, and she patted him on the back in apology.

“I-Is that so…” Hokuto murmured, uncertain. Of course they were hiding something, but it wouldn’t be the first time some of them visited the arcade with Anzu. Who knew what they were up to?

Anzu nodded rapidly, almost as if her neck were about to bend from the strain of her constant nodding. She made shooing motions with her hands, then she ducked into a bathroom stall to change out of her jersey.

 

“Well, looks like this’ll be it for today! Stay safe on the way back, you two!” Makoto waved good-bye as he, Subaru, and Anzu went in the general direction of the shopping district. Subaru was walking Daikichi, who happily went along as Anzu stayed ahead, waving a shiny coin in front of him every so often to lure him in the direction. Unfortunately, Subaru seemed to be interested in it as well, so he followed the coin blindly and didn’t look back.

Hokuto sighed. “I wonder how he’s going to survive in the future… Not as if I’m worrying about him.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mao muttered, then turned to Hokuto as they began to set off in the direction of the train station. “Hey, Hokuto. You do know they said your name during practice, right?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Hokuto blinked uncertainly a while before answering, “Really? I thought they were going to the arcade.”

“No, you gotta pay attention!” Mao lightly punched Hokuto, who immediately felt tense at the moment they made contact, withdrawing his arm. “...You okay? Sorry, did I hit too hard?”

“N-no…” Hokuto looked away, feeling heat climb up his neck again. “Is it just me, or is it especially hot today?” He rubbed his left arm with his right, feeling the unmistakable cold touch he would always feel when putting his hands together. His body temperature was cool as always, but why did only his head feel on fire?

Mao looked aside at him. “Did you say something?” At that moment, the sun chose to sweep over the two of them, and their surroundings were awash in orange and red, warm colors that accentuated Mao’s inner warmth. The red from his hair blended smoothly with that of the rays, and his sharp green eyes were a beacon in the few seconds Hokuto was transfixed.

Feeling that unmistakable rush of heat up his neck again, Hokuto repeated, “It’s hotter today, isn’t it?” He blinked the sun away from his eyes, adjusting to its brightness, feeling himself cool down again. Just as he opened his eyes again and saw his friend, however, his cheeks began to flush with heat.

“No, I think it’s just as hot as any other day. Do you have a summer fever? Maybe overworking yourself wasn’t very good,” Mao answered, tilting his head back and forth to judge if the heat was any worse than before. “Do you need to take a rest?”

Hokuto was busy in thought, wondering if it was just him who was feeling so tense, so giddy. He prided himself on always keeping his cool, but this was just something completely new. Was it just him?

“Hey,” Mao whispered into his ear.

The dark-haired boy leapt back, nearly hitting the wall as he jumped in shock from hearing the voice so close to his ear. It was tingling, and probably burning red as well. “W-what, Isara? That surprised me!”

Mao put on a bashful smile. “I just thought you needed to get some waking up… Sorry for startling you. Are you really okay, though?” He placed a warm hand on Hokuto’s cool forehead, which felt as if it were burning up. Hokuto thought he might’ve had a fever, but Mao sighed in relief. “That’s good. You’re probably just spaced out.”

The two of them continued walking, but Hokuto stared, spaced out, into the distance. Something was definitely wrong with him, and it wasn’t a fever of any sort. He always felt a twinge in his chest whenever Mao looked at him, but he felt almost embarrassed if they met eyes. For the longest time, he’d thought that was some kind of admiration, but… What if it was something more? That wasn’t possible, was it?

“For the time being, why don’t we hold hands? If you’re not feeling that well, I’ll know, so…” Mao offered out his hand, an embarrassed smile curving his lips. “I know it’s weird for us to do this kind of thing, so if you don’t want to…”

Hokuto stared at Mao’s outstretched hand in disbelief. “Um…” He felt lightheaded, and it was as if the moment lengthened into infinity. His cheeks felt flushed again, and he felt the urge to hide his face from the sun, the embodiment of which stood in front of him. Hokuto, after what seemed like eternity to him, reached out and intertwined his left hand with Mao’s right. His hand was warm. “Thanks for your concern.”

Mao’s eyes widened, and he whispered with a grin, “No problem.”

 

Makoto hissed, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” He shook Anzu rapidly as she stared glassily at the two of them. “They held hands!”

“Yeah, they did. What does that mean?” Subaru was looking away, playing around with Daikichi’s paws. The three of them had been watching the interaction, under the guise of having gone to the shopping district. Of course, Anzu’s plan was not completely skilled, so they had to stay much further away than she would’ve liked.

Subaru waved a hand in front of Anzu. “ Hey~. What’s wrong? You were kind of spacey just now? What’s up?”

She nudged his hand away and motioned to the two of them to huddle even closer, telling them her plan.

“What? That’s all you expected out of them, so let’s go back now?” Makoto nodded approvingly. “As expected of Anzu-chan! Taking the best decisions, so we’ll retreat when need be!”

The three of them looked back with fond smiles as they saw the other two with connected hands.

 

Mao tensed up, feeling that they were just about to reach the station. He would part with Hokuto there, and he’d continue walking to his home. Mao truly wanted this moment to last forever.

With Hokuto’s commanding presence next to him and his cold hand gripping Mao’s own as if he would never let go, this moment felt like a dream. Mao had reached out his hand on instinct, under the pretense of helping Hokuto out, and he thought himself the biggest idiot if Hokuto had refused. It would have been the worst moment of his life, to be refused by someone he loved.

Mao looked at their hands, touching, and he immediately felt the urge to pull away. What if Hokuto didn’t even like them holding hands that way? It was childish and dumb, of course. Right? He definitely minded and only pitied Mao, so he held hands.

“Ah. The train station…” Hokuto pointed with his right hand, looking expectantly towards the station as they approached. His tone was clipped, probably filled with embarrassment at having to be seen this way.

Mao stammered, “I-I’ll let go now.” He dropped Hokuto’s hand, making to wave good-bye would Hokuto walk away. But he didn’t do that.

Hokuto leaned forward, and his lips pressed onto Mao’s cheek, lingering there for a few seconds. He stepped back and met Mao’s gaze, his eyes seeming to burn a blue fire in Mao’s heart. Hokuto smiled, a small one, but a genuine smile nonetheless. “Thanks, Isara.”

“No problem.” Mao responded automatically, and he walked away for a few seconds before fully registering what happened. An alarm blared in his mind, and blush spread across his cheeks like a wildfire. What?

He turned back, but Hokuto was already gone, so, disappointed, he continued walking. Was it a daydream? If so, that was a realistic one. Mao placed a hand on his cheek. That was one of the best dreams he’d ever had, too.


End file.
